Salaries for MSN-Prepared Nurses

Like never before, the nation’s healthcare system needs nurses with advanced degrees. We need advanced practitioners capable of serving the primary care needs of a growing patient population during a time when MDs are in short supply … We need nurse educators capable of preparing new nurses to enter the field … We need infomaticists who understand how to use data to improve the delivery of care and ensure better patient outcomes … And we need nurses who can lead, both in the clinical environment and at the executive level.

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Nurse Practitioners (NP)

According to a 2016 Clinical Advisor annual salary survey, NPs—the largest subsection of APRNs—had an annual salary of $101,989 in 2016.

For NPs, it’s no surprise that the majority (24 percent) worked in family medicine, followed by pediatrics (5.5), given that most practices are focused on family medicine and/or pediatrics.

But while family medicine was tops in terms of employment, it was cardiology that paid NPs the most in 2016, at $103,958, followed by…

Adult medicine: $101,914
Primary care: $97,404
Family medicine: $97,392
Pediatrics: $93,562

It’s also no surprise that NPs in the West continue to earn the highest salaries since this where the cost of living is generally higher, with few exceptions – looking at you NYC and DC…

West: $109,098
Midwest: $99,979
Northeast: $102,042
South: $99,822

To get a better idea of how salaries differ depending on location, we’ve used BLS statistics to assemble a list of cities in various parts of the country, highlighting salaries for NPs in the 50^th and 90^th percentiles…

Albuquerque, NM: $105,980 (50^th) – $130,370 (90^th)
Billings, MT: $96,640 – $123,140
Chicago, IL: $101,310 – $127,800
Columbia, SC: $94,070 – $122,440
Columbus, OH: $94,910 – $124,030
Dallas, TX: $104,870 – $139,430
Danbury, CT: $95,910 – $125,190
Honolulu, HI: $121,520 – $164,590
Miami, FL: $93,670 – $123,340
New York City, NY: $117,680 – $161,560
San Francisco, CA: $136,750 – $201,480
Seattle, WA: $110,850 – $133,460
Washington, DC, $107,320 – $132,530

Looking to practice settings for NPs, the BLS reported that salaries varied significantly, with NPs working in major hospitals earning the highest average salary, at $113,019, followed by those working in…

Hospital clinics: $109,997
Walk-in, ambulatory care: $101,184
Stand-alone clinics: $97,888
Office practice – $94,677

Using recent job postings (September 2017) for NPs, we were able to provide a real-time look at what NPs certified in the six different patient population focus areas earned…

Family/Individual Across the Lifespan

In family practice, we found NPs earning between $110,000-$150,000.

Adult-Gerontology

While we weren’t able to locate any acute care adult-gerontology positions, we found that NPs working in adult-gerontology/primary care earn between $71,000-$136,000 a year.

Women’s Health/Gender-Related

There were many positions for NPs in women’s health (OB/GYN) listed when we searched for job postings, but very few included salary ranges. However, we found the salary range to be significant, with the lowest salary at $70,000 and the highest at $160,000.

Neonatal

Our research found that neonatal NPs earned significantly higher salaries than their colleagues working with other patient populations, earning an annual salary of between $93,000 – $159,000. Many positions fell in the $120,000 salary range, and all were located in major hospital health systems.

Pediatrics (Acute care/primary care)

We found that pediatric NPs working in primary care earn between $80,000-$100,000 per year, while those working in acute care, such as in hospital systems, earn about $105,000 a year.

Psychiatric/Mental Health

Psychiatric/mental health NPs earn between $95,000 – $200,000 a year, with most job posts for community health centers and counseling services. We also found that psychiatric/mental health NPs working in outpatient treatment centers earning between $95,000 – $145,000.

Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM)

We turned to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to find the most recent data on certified nurse-midwife salaries. As of May 2016, the BLS reported that CNMSs earned an average, annual salary of $119,690, with the top 10 percent of earners bringing in $142,510.

BLS statistics also revealed that CNMs working in government agencies earned the highest salary during this time, at $127,670, followed by those working in…

Outpatient health centers: $115,070
General medical and surgical hospitals: $105,710
Physicians’ offices: $103,360

The top-paying state for CNMs was California, at $132,950, followed by…

Iowa: $125,650
New Jersey: $112,370
Massachusetts: $112,290
Oregon: $108,240

We also prepared a list of salaries for CNMs in cities across the U.S. using May 2016 BLS statistics to give you an idea of what CNMs are earning in different parts of the country. We featured salaries for CNMs in the 50^th and 90^th percentiles…

Albuquerque, NM: $103,960 (50^th) – $126,390 (90^th)
Boston, MA, $113,680 – $167,370
Chicago, IL: $95,870 – $123,380
Columbus, OH: $105,010 – $127,740
Dallas, TX: $110,200 – $149,880
Miami, FL: $92,140 – $101,530
New York City, NY: $107,860 – $161,560
San Francisco, CA: $136,750 – $131,030
Seattle, WA: $99,970 – $127,330

We also performed our own research using recent job postings (September 2017) to get a real-time snapshot of what CNMs are earning across the country:

A women’s OB/GYN practice in Las Vegas, NV: $150,000
A county health clinic in Los Angeles: $111,000 – $162,000
A natural birth center in Northern Virginia, postpartum care specialist: $72,800
A private practice OB/GYN in New York City (Bronx): $95,000 – $105,000
Hospital in Baltimore, MD: $75,000 – $120,000
A private OB/GYN practice in Palm Springs, CA: $90,000 – $120,000

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)

As the top earners among all APRNs, CRNAs earn an annual average salary of $164,030, with the top 10 percent earning more than $208,000, as of May 2016, according to the BLS.

The BLS reports that CRNAs working in outpatient care centers earned the highest, average salary during this time, at $181,800, followed by CRNAs in specialty hospitals, at $175,800 and general and medical surgical hospitals, at $174,980.

The top-paying states for CRNAs were Montana ($242,140) followed by Wyoming ($233,400), something of a surprise, and an exception to the notion that the highest paid nurses must work in the nation’s biggest cities or on the coasts. Following just behind were:

California: $215,530
Oregon: $199,860
Nevada: $192,330

To better show the difference in pay for CRNAs throughout the U.S., we’ve assembled a list of cities and provided BLS salary averages for the 50^th and 90^th percentiles:

Chicago, IL: $101,750, $189,160
Columbus, OH: $140,670, $183,380
Dallas, TX: $162,280, $205,680
Honolulu, HI: $158,160, $207,870
Miami, FL: $152,150 (50^th)
New York City, NY: $168,890 (50^th)
San Francisco, CA: $205,690 (50^th)
Seattle, WA: $168,280, $205,680
Washington, DC, $149,130, $199,920

We also looked at recent job posts (September 2017) to provide a current look at what CRNAs are earning:

Medical group, El Paso, TX: $150,000
General Hospital and Trauma Center, San Francisco, CA: $201,760 – $284,960
VHA, Houston, TX: $122,855 – $186,794
Hospital System, New Haven, CT: $156,000
Pain Institute, Gilbert, AZ: $270,400 – $332,800
University Medical Center, Columbus, OH: $145,600 – $216,320
Regional Medical Center, Magnolia, AR: $175,000

Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)

While we learned from the 2016 Medscape APRN Salary Report that CNSs earned an average salary of $95,000 in 2015, other salary statistics on these APRNs are in short supply. We took to recent job posts (September 2017) to get a better idea what CNSs are earning.

We found that there are many job openings for CNSs in areas such as pediatrics, med/surg., cardiovascular surgery, women’s services, oncology, neonatal intensive care, and psychiatric/mental health, among many others. Just a few of these job posts revealed the salaries offered for these positions:

Research position for the Department of Health and Human Services in Montgomery County, MD: $80,456 – $123,234
Los Angeles County Department of Human Resources: $104,988 – 4152,947
Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus, OH: $58,752 – $104,000
Veteran’s Affairs (Spinal Cord Injuries and Disorders), Palo Alto CA: $100,020 – $161,900

Nurse Educator

Nurse instructors and teachers earned an average salary of $75,030, as of May 2016, with the top 10 percent earning about $117,540, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Nurse educators with an MSN are more often found in clinical settings than on university campuses. The BLS shows that the top earners work in specialty hospitals ($106,910), followed by those in psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals ($88,630), and general medical and surgical hospitals ($86,890).

The BLS also reported nurse educators earned the highest average salaries in the following states:

California: $105,030
New Jersey: $94,530
New York: $91,700
Connecticut: $89,990
Massachusetts: $88,240

Here’s a look at nurse educator salaries from major cities throughout the country as published by the BLS (50^th and 90^th percentiles):

Albuquerque, NM: $74,180 (50^th) – $92,780 (90^th)
Chicago, IL: $67,990 – $117,430
Columbia, SC: $68,350 – $101,570
Columbus, OH: $64,890 – $100,880
Dallas, TX: $62,290 – $98,330
Honolulu, HI: $74,640 – $105,630
Miami, FL: $79,490 – $116,720
San Francisco, CA: $96,830 – $163,370
Seattle, WA: $76,460 – $121,450
Washington, DC, $63,360 – $100,690

To get a better idea of current salaries for MSN nurse educators in postsecondary settings, we also looked to recent job posts from across the country (September 2017):

Charter College, Med/Surgical Specialty, Anchorage, AK: $43,503 – $79,218
Medical Prep Institute, Tampa Bay, FL: $70,000
Community College, Spartanburg, SC: $52,000 – $58,000
Simulation Instructor, Omaha, NE: $45,153 – $97,119

Nurse Administrators

As a nurse administrator, you may go by a variety of titles: Manager … Director … Chief Nursing Officer. These titles indicate different levels of seniority in certain hospital and healthcare systems, so salaries tend to vary widely based on title.

According to the 2016 salary and compensation survey conducted by the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE), most nurse administrators worked as Directors (35 percent), Managers (22 percent), and Chief Nursing Officers (CNO)/Chief Nursing Executives (CNE) (21 percent).

The survey found that about half of all nurse administrators earned between $90,000 and $149,999, while about 38 percent earned $150,000 or more, and about 12 percent earned less than $90,000.

Nurse administrators with senior-level titles earned the highest salaries. For example, about 69 percent of all directors and managers earned between $100,000 and $159,999. Just 2 percent of all directors and just 11 percent of all managers earned less than $80,000.

Among CNOs, 58 percent earned between $100,000 and $199,999 while 23 percent earned between $200,000 and $249,999 and 17 percent earned $250,000 or more. CNOs within a hospital system earned the highest salaries, with about 52 percent earning $250,000 or more.

The survey also examined nurse administrator salaries by geographic region and found that those working in the far western U.S. (identified as including Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington) had the most respondents (62 percent) earning $150,000 or more.

Nurse administrators in the Northeast (identified as including Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont) followed, with about 45 percent indicating they earned $150,000 or more.

To get a better idea of current nurse administrator salaries across the U.S., we examined current job posts and found the following (September 2017):

Wellness Director, Senior Living Community – Boise, ID: $66,000
Clinical Coordinator, Community College – Durango, CO: $44,285
Clinic Director, Men’s Clinic – Las Vegas, NC: $124,000 – $140,000
Director of Nursing, Health Clinic – Austin, TX: $90,000 – $100,000
Director of Nursing Services, School District – Onalaska, WI: $62,000 – $69,000
Director of Nursing, Healthcare Center – Salisbury, MD: $90,000
Director of Nursing, Skilled Nursing Facility – Portland, OR: $90,000 – $105,000
Chief Nursing Officer, County Medical Center – Comanche, TX: $90,000 – $127,000

Nurse Informaticist

The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) revealed that as of 2015, nurse informaticists earned an average, annual salary of $111,388.

HIMSS also broke down average salaries for nurse informaticists, by geographic region and found that the Pacific Region had the highest average salary at $127,117, followed by:

Mid-Atlantic: $121,178
South Atlantic: $116,388
New England: $113,493
Mountain: $109,959
East South Central: $107,996
East North Central: $103,109
West North Central: $102,522
West South Central: $101,281

We also researched current job posts (September 2017) to locate salaries for nurse informaticists and found that earnings ranged widely in different parts of the country, likely due to the fact that these nurses go by a number of titles, including project manager, systems analyst, applications manager, and medical informatics coordinator, among others.

Olympia, WA: $82,056 – $134,532
Phoenix, AZ: $62,989 – $112,631
Salt Lake City, UT: $65,192
Tampa, FL: $65,000 – $66,000
Mammoth Lakes, CA: $76,960 – $112,320
Columbus, OH: $53,414
Moreno Valley, CA: $95,281 – $153,681